CES2006: Sony Joins 82-Inch LCD Club

December 28, 2005

Although a bit late to the dance and still struggling to gain a foothold in the flat-screen market after sticking with CRTs for a bit too long, Sony said it plans to unveil its own 82-inch LCD monitor at CES next week in Las Vegas. (Samsung unveiled its own 82-inch monster screen in early 2005 at the CeBIT show in Germany.)

According to various Japanese publications, virtually nothing is known yet about Sony's HD specs, although Samsung's big screen was reportedly 1920 x 1080 and capable of displaying 1080p at 60 fps. (Sony actually helped Samsung on the latter's huge screen model, but not even Sony's own CES2006-dedicated Web site mentions its new 82-inch display.)

Samsung's version incorporated a patented technology for attempting to achieve wider viewing angles, and according to Samsung, it can achieve a minimum contrast ratio of 1200:1 and brightness of 600cd/m². Its backlight raises color saturation to 92 per cent, Samsung said. Sony's 82-inch model is widely expected to at least equal Samsung's specs, with perhaps a surprise or two yet to be unveiled.